and is expected to hand scotland the power to hold an independence referendum just as the u.k.'s prime minister was pressured by his own and peace to hold a similar vote on separating from the european union. a french ground operation in mali is launched after days of heavy air bombardment against al qaida linked insurgents and that a growing threat of retaliation against those who support the mission. and iran hosts a team of u.n. autonomy experts hoping to make progress in nuclear. western sanctions shake the country's economy but not see its people's result.

international news and comment online on screen around the world this is r.t. scotland may soon get a boost in its push for independence the house of lords is debating providing edinburgh with the powers necessary to hold a referendum on a breakaway and peace at westminster have already unanimously approved the move the scottish government wants to hold the referendum in the autumn of twenty fourteen this mirrors the strong push for independence within the u.k. itself where many feel a country should part ways with the e.u. party's party boyko has more. well the pressure is really piling on the british prime minister david cameron because he's set to give a speech on friday where he wants to talk about renegotiating britain's role within the european union and that's a very difficult situation for him because there's a lot of euro skeptic m.p.'s who are piling on the pressure saying that you know

the status quo really needs to be changed at the moment at the same time we've got the british public we've recently learnt that over fifty percent of them say in a recent poll that they would vote to leave the e.u. because that's fed up with the amount of money that leaves from the british. budget every month goes over to brussels at the same time they want to see a lot of powers returned to the u.k. powers that are currently ceded to brussels to do with extradition to do with the criminal justice system to do with social policies as well so for david cameron it's a difficult situation and there's definitely a feeling that the status quo is definitely being challenge so along with the scottish independence and the possible referendum over that and britain's relationship with the e.u. it's all kind of on shaky ground at the moment we've got a group of euro skeptic m.p.'s within the parliament who say that they've actually got the backing of over one hundred tory m.p.'s who have just outlined

a must have manifested for change and this comes two days before cameron's big speech and it's almost like a shopping list of demands of what they want to see changed about britain's relationship with europe and if they can't get that they're likely to say well why don't we leave you we have the british electorate who are very very annoyed with everything you're with your feel that she's getting in the way of doing business. in their daily lives and she's not warning they really then you have a generational thing in the united kingdom a referendum on this took place in the mid seventy's. and the middle aged politician never mind. time has there been a chance to have a say on what the relationship with europe should be like so there's a big call for a referendum in the end i think and of course the government has been accused of trying to cherry pick the policies that they do want on part of that sort of membership within the e.u. and to purchase side things that they don't want and reportedly senior officials in

brussels have said that the e.u. membership is not an hour can't menu and that person can't just say we're going to renegotiate our terms it's not as easy as that so for david cameron it's going to be a bit of a tightrope on friday that he's going to have to walk and all eyes are on him for the big speech on friday. a moderate islamist pariah a court and protests that have entered the day in pakistan i mean are we report of what they see this as a conspiracy between the people and the judiciary to depose it. first french troops or for their first face to face battle with islamic insurgents in mali the ground operation comes after five days of intense air attacks that the army is aiming to prevent the al qaeda affiliated militants who sees vast areas in the north of the former french colony from moving towards the capital market but the operation has led to the first retaliation mother militants have raided

a gas field in neighboring algeria killing two people and kidnapping a group of around twenty european u.s. and japanese workers the spokesman for marine le pen president of the national front in france says this could be a result of the country's reckless politics. now we're on the third level of four actually concerning the probability of being attacked by terrorist groups on our own soil it is linked to our international actions and wars that we are leading of course we are aware of that and this is a true it's a reality. we supported the revolution who has helped the militants to get a lot of money and weapons now today we have to clean up in mali but still we are defending islamist fighting in syria so there is a kind of problem here or coherence in the international level of the french politics. and for a view on the situation in mali from across the atlantic let's go to washington now where would you and live by former pentagon official michael maloof well the

militants have killed two foreigners in the holding some twenty american european and japanese nationals in a gas field in algeria as i was just saying a little earlier this all of course is in apparent retaliation to what's happening in mali is this not what paris has been warned against. paris that paris was probably aware of it and i think that the united states was aware of it too. this also this demonstrates how the a.q. . in the maghreb in the islamic magreb basically are coordinating their activities and this is part of an overall our overall. plan to basically take that northern part of africa as a stepping stone into europe itself and there has been threats in paris already by . and what's really tragic is the fact that the united states trained a lot of these. now terrorists who basically defected from the government and and know many of our activities and know how we operate from

a special forces standpoint and can use them against us why did that training initiative go so badly wrong then. well the training went great at the time that it happened what happened was that they defected. and the man who led the coup. was a military man and he. was actually trained by u.s. forces and so he has insight and and i think general ham one of our top commanders basically is to declare to be a disaster that we are confronted with this problem right now these troops are very well trained they were involved not only in libya but also but also in mali and they basically turned they were tore exam and now they've joined forces with the a.q.i.m. so doesn't the all the u.s. is al qaeda in the islamic magreb right before i ask you more about the rebels in the make up because it's so easy to call them a lost about the makeup of them in a minute but first what about the fact that the u.s.

should it not be obliged now to help. if people are saying that it's the u.s. is fault because at the moment it seems to be taking rather a. while distancing itself from what's happening in money. not at all they are involved they are providing. intelligence they are actually going to be probably committing transport to bring in african union troops from other countries but this could be a double edged sword because given the uncertainty and and the volatility within mali itself many of the foreign troops come in and could actually states their own coups and take over the country so this is a very very dicey situation and and it also represents it also represents a potential long term afghanistan like effect for france itself and and inadvertently it could suck the united states back into yet another war as i

mentioned out it exactly all these rebels it's very easy to say but it's more complicated than that. oh yeah yeah it's a group of. who were. who were part of the tribesmen and they were trained in and they've linked up with other tribesmen and other groups and there's a number of groups that comprised. in the islamic and michael just to make and the tories basically these groups are actually homegrown in mali or has there been an element of and importation of islam is coming from all the countries both both you have internal and external you're going to have foreign fighters who have been part of a.q.i.m. for some time and there this is as i said earlier this is all part of a grand. central strategy out of africa. out of pakistan these days so i think it's it's

a foundation to launch more attacks into europe ultimately e.u. is very concerned about it i might add so they see in the monitor what's happening in mali is provoking attacks possible attacks in europe and elsewhere and yet the french seem to be wanting to islam is him and stop the islamists taking over not just the whole of the north of mali but also the rest of the country not just bombing them and using a military exercise against them does that really get rid of an ideology and the actual threat. no i don't think so because after ten years of doing something similar in afghanistan we're ready to pull out. to move back in so there's some question as to just how effective this approach is going to be and i think that this is something that the french are going to have to to weigh for themselves but it also could bring a number of other countries back into a long drawn out conflict already germany is beginning to show some resistance to this and are concerned about the extent of help that they give simply because they

see another protracted effort such as they experienced in in afghanistan and that's exactly what the rebels are saying and they're saying france is falling into a trap that could be facing another iraq afghanistan and indeed another libya so you think they could be right that france has taken on a challenge that it may not be able to cope with along with other countries now i think so because i think they're actually it's almost like a strategy on the part of the rebels to draw all the men and i would add that russia has a lot. to be concerned about in this area in this region because of investments in their own in their own. investments in the in the in the area to protect it's in the course agreed to the u.n. national sick through the u.n. security council resolution to provide assistance to the french so it's it's a it's a dicey situation it's it's larger than mali percent say and it could affect the entire north africa and into europe and i think that is perhaps the concern from

a geo strategic and political standpoint so this conflict could go on a lot longer france is ambitious and positive saying this is going to be over very quickly just quickly what about francois hollande if we start seeing those what we're seeing the troops now with the first combat battles on the ground at the moment two and a half thousand troops going to be engaged on the ground that if casualties start coming back up and indeed we see a retaliatory attack from french ground on french soil what does that do for fun on and on the political situation that. well i think it puts him on. ill at ease politically because even though he's made a very strong stand that he was going to fight i'm going to resist him now you just been recently elected president so here's a ways to go but i think you're going to quickly see if there isn't if the. rebels are able to do something within france i think it's going to it could either. make make citizens they're very concerned and or they may just say get out altogether to

avoid the conflict he's in a very precarious situation right now michael thank you very much indeed really interesting talking to michael maloof former pentagon official live in washington thank you time thanks for having me. the un's atomic agency experts are back in iran for the second time in a little more than a month to iran hopes this visit will bring clear progress but stresses a deal is only possible if its rights for peaceful nuclear energy are respected the west fears iran is seeking atomic weapons and keeps piling sanctions on the country but is more of a notion of found out they often have the opposite effect to what was intended by the u.s. maybe serious sanctions against iran are not targeted at the general public but there was barely a single person from the population of around seventy five million who hasn't been there. i used to buy two meters and boxes then and now they're selling them in pieces. iran's all expertise fell by one

million barrels a day in the last year following international embargoes taken sixty percent of the oil revenue the iranian currency lost forty percent of its value against the us dollar causing twenty five percent inflation in october the highest in decades. behind this current. suffering from rising prices and a lack of food and medicine the west sides the measures a range at making iran give up its nuclear program which may or may not be aiming to produce weapons the reason is the government that we have here they don't like the government they haven't liked the government for the last thirty some years and because of his very pressures they do want to see the end of the government and having the sanctions to pressure the public opinion inside iran you know when economy is not to be very good they are hoping people will go to the streets and

protest and have a revolution but the fact seems to be the opposite. of cells iranian carpets one of the country's proud sources of revenue once a critic of the iranian government has recently had a change of heart if for me it's for me then why for another people are for another country is not for we don't buy it for israel is not for being a father of five for american is not going to be there before we go. on or after the war they want to ask me something to do that nor we are free of your free people you know this is the best way which my government. followed not only do they create anger among ordinary iranians and the iranians see their behavior towards their country as. allies but people in the region and beyond see what the united states and the europeans are trying to do so the image of the united states and europe is it has been severely damaged but

iran's image has also been damaged one recent poll shows iran talks the least as the country is in most negative image populous to a times include doesn't war and really just fanatics. in britain and many outlets in the united states want to create an image of a villain not only the you don't in government but also the iranian people iran has been under sanctions for decades but it's only following the latest round the country's economy has been a visibly shaking and it would have some people in iran may now think it's down to the authorities mismanagement the majority it still holds the u.s. and western responsible this painting behind me has been here for years and as the supreme was quoted here suggests well look with america even for a moment the pension its representatives will most likely remain here for some time

to come rational shakti teheran iran. the us is doubling its presence in spain this year and it's just one possible push for close in many ways across the atlantic as pentagon chief leon panetta makes his final european tour in the post. still to come this hour also eight suspected gang war claims the life of the man dubbed the king of russia's mafia how he was killed in broad daylight here in central moscow that's coming up in just a minute after this brief break. more

news today violence is once again flared up. and these are the images the world has been seeing from the streets of canada. giant corporations rule the day. these continues here in auntie security forces have barricaded pakistan's

parliament with three layers of shipping containers as tens of thousands of protesters pressed forward their leader an islamic cleric has issued the government with a final ultimatum he's demanding the parliament's dissolution and sweeping election reforms threatening to spark a revolution if he's ignored the supreme court ordered the arrest of the prime minister who's in gold in a bribery scandal some government officials have called it a conspiracy between the protesters the and the colts. who's the dean at the school of international affairs in india says dr company's rise has been astonishing. mainstream parties have been getting flak deservedly floor or feeling people's expectations on the economic front end with the wars that have been happening their source in a lake of mediocrity is reasonable and many people of course have the suspicions that eased being primed by the military establishment in order to for their weaken the whole of the c.b.d.

and barclays and that's the reason why he's getting so much believing and he's been yes i'm going to you know savior in the messiah of the country who is an anti system and to political parties and these are already you know the common person grievances against the. establishment of the civilian side and innovates later pincer movement from both sides but. possibly not coordinated but what is happening is that it looks like the mass movement that carter is trying to rig up as well as the judiciary seem to be taking cues from each other and timing the laws against the government almost simultaneously which means trouble for democratic institutions in the long run and i'm afraid that. allows levy for the military to remain the ultimate king maker and the property here behind the shadows and which is not great news for south asia as a whole because if by the standards not genuinely democratized we're in trouble. high a price tag to overthrow

a government the spring revolutions drain the coffers of countries like libya and egypt according to the latest estimates stay with us to find out the bill for changing a regime. that start a company first one of the russian mafia is most infamous figures grandpa has sent has been killed in moscow he was shot in broad daylight in the city center on his and he takes up the story. often referred to in russia as grandpa his son has often been compared to al capone but his demise today is more reminiscent of the death of another american gangster john dillon the one of the biggest crime laws in russia was shot outside his favorite restaurant in central moscow and the law enforcement agencies have already reported that they have found six gun shells at the side believing this was a direct assassination attempt at ground bar he was delivered to a hospital but later died there without regaining consciousness now grant by her

son was almost like a textbook russian mafia gangster as it's always been perceived in the west mostly thanks to the hollywood movies he's been involved in many different activities the illegal gambling network the sales of weapons and drugs but many have been reporting on him that he was something of a mediator a middleman. mafia talks and he's always been a peacemaker in a different mafia conflicts very well respected by many ethnic criminal groups in russia and it's not be not the first attempt on his life you've had quite a few over the past several decades most notably two years ago in two thousand and ten there was an attempt on his life when there was information for some time circulating in the media that he was even killed he was shot very seriously in the stomach had a very serious surgery and managed to survive today was not the case grand bar has died in hospital the law enforcement agencies are still investigating exactly what

happened in central moscow and what led to the assassination of one of russia's biggest criminal lords but the main version which is now being considered is obviously some sort of gang war but that is of course is yet to be determined and investigated. on life at the moment at r.t. dot com fifteen years in jail for a name change since one egyptian family got for their wish to use christian names after illegally changing them in official documents. to jailed pussy riot members bit to have a sentence suspended so she can care for her young son is thrown out of court but why wasn't she successful and get the details on our website right now r.t. dot com.

outgoing u.s. defense secretary leon panetta is on a weeklong trip to europe to discuss close military ties and includes a visit to spain where washington is looking to double its defense presents this year spanish international affairs experts believe this is just one part of america's push to extend its worldwide influence. you have to take into account that there are two strains of thought within diplomatic circles in the united states or one of them is that they have to. and the most serious danger comes from the east from china and so they feel it should reinforce their military and political presence in asia the other strain and leon panetta and president obama are part of it says that the u.s. has to be present in both so the operation and therefore they also have to deploy the anti missile defense shield as a provocation against russia. regime change comes at a high cost a recent study of the arab spring has revealed that the egyptian syrian and libyan revolutions could set those countries back some two hundred twenty five billion

dollars middle east economic analyst thinks that the process to revive the economy is concerned will be a slow and painful one. we're talking about a complete structural change in how these economies work you know removing and reforming energy subsidies and food subsidies changing the way the governments deal with businesses and and laws and constitutions and i think we're going to see in several years of the hard slog i think it's not going to be as smooth as we saw in two thousand and eleven things are going to be difficult for the region for some time. now for some more world news this hour at least seventeen people have been killed in two suicide car bomb attacks near the headquarters of the kurdish democratic party in the northern iraqi city of kirkuk officials said more than one hundred were also wounded no one's yet claimed responsibility attacks by insurgents

are still frequent in iraq with the country pressured by ethnic and sectarian divides. a helicopter crash in central london during the morning rush hour has left two people dead and injured thirteen others it clipped a crane on the skyscraper just because it was a south of parliament in westminster spilling burning fuel into the street and setting two cars on fire sort of positive change his original course because of bad weather. eight story building has collapsed killing twenty five people and injuring at least ten and me gyptian coastal city of alexandria rescue teams are on the scene searching for survivors the cause of the incident is still unknown but egypt has a record of lax enforcement of planning regulations. a suicide bomb blast in afghanistan spy agencies killed two civilians and injured dozens more a car laden with explosives was detonated by an attacker in front of the gates of the building five men wearing vests of explosives were then shot by security guards

as they try to get inside the taliban has claimed responsibility. a school bus drivers in new york have gone on strike leaving more than one hundred and fifty thousand students stranded and calling for greater job security something the mess says he's not legally allowed to give them subway passes will be given out and taxi fares will be reimbursed for students trying to get to school in the first time in thirty four years school drivers have taken industrial action. finally in our world update the israeli police arrested more than a dozen palestinian protesters attempting to return to a camp in the west bank last week demonstrators constructed a tent camp on an area israel has marked for new. settlements i mean to make a village of their own he was then cleared by security forces israel's decision to go ahead with its plan to build new settler homes in the west bank has been widely condemned and is illegal under international law. and it's less than a week until we find out whether israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is

reelected and the country will hold a snap parliamentary election on tuesday with the situation in the middle east heavily dependent on the outcome the whole world will be watching the vote closely and don't miss our special coverage how will change with to run develop. isolate can there be peace with gaza what's next in relations with america will survive his snuff election on january twenty second. israel decides. with the israeli election in upon us then r.t. speaks with a formal legal advisor to the palestinian negotiator team who says that the actions of a weak israeli leadership could have a serious long term impact on any chance of peace that's coming up later in the hour well that brings you up to date i'll be back with more news for you in about half an hour from now very shortly the business news coming your way stay with us that's coming after this break.

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